Gazprom, Ukraine talks cordial

Negotiations between officials with Russian gas monopoly Gazprom and the Ukrainian energy minister in Moscow were cordial, the company said. Ukrainian officials are pressing for a better natural gas deal from Gazprom. The country jailed its former prime minister for abuse of power in connection with a 2009 deal that's still on the books. The Kremlin in August suggested Ukraine could get a better deal if it joined the Moscow-led Customs Union. Kiev said it didn't want to become a full member, however, because it would interfere with free trade deals with the European Union. Gazprom Chief Executive Officer Alexei Miller met with Ukrainian Energy Minister Yuri Boiko at his Moscow office to discuss the bilateral deal. Gazprom, in a statement, said the dialogue was constructive. Both leaders, the company added, "expressed a unified opinion that Gazprom and Ukraine would strictly abide by the existing contracts for gas supply and transit until reaching new agreements." Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov said, during a recent interview with Russian radio station Ekho Moskvy, that any deal would likely be separate from Ukraine's membership in the Moscow-led Customs Union.